Chapter 3

How dare you not bow to the imperial family, stupid commoner?" asked the sword wielder.

'Bow? You were supposed to bow to people?' now that she thought about it, servants would bow to her mother and stepfather but never for Naomi.

"Do you know how to speak? Or do you want to die that badly?" Naomi gulped and tried to give the person an answer.

"I'm sorry, sir-." before she could even finish, Naomi was slammed against the marble floor, knocking the wind out of her. Naomi laid dazed and in pain, too shocked to cry out at the extreme action.

"Sir? Do you have no manners? I am the crown prince of this empire and higher in status than you. Respect and bow."

Naomi sniffled as the pain grew worse, and the shock started to fade. 'Someone help me! I'll be good!' she thought.

"Jan, stop. That girl is your sister and a member of the imperial family." the Empress scolded.

Jan scoffed as he looked at the pitiful excuse of a person, his sister? That was a foreign word to him but made him feel unfamiliar emotions.

"Your majesty, she's bleeding, and she won't wake up!"

The emperor nodded and demanded that the royal doctor see the girl. Servants scrabbled to grab Naomi and fetch the doctor.

"Good job, Jan. You probably killed our sister." Hugo, the third prince, chuckled.

What a day. Could it get any worse?

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Meanwhile, with Naomi-

Naomi played in the comfortable darkness, without pain. How long has it been since she wasn't in pain? She could only think of when her mother went on vacation with her stepfather. Naomi shuddered at the memory; there was no point in living in the past. Maybe it will be different now that she was free from her mother and the others.

As time went on, she started dreaming about the past. 'What happened to move forward?' Naomi thought.

The dream took place one year ago when her mother got engaged. They lived in a rundown flat with only one bedroom, which her mother claimed for her line of work, and a closet that Naomi had that was labeled as a bedroom. Naomi could hear her mother and her clients giggling and talking through the poor excuse of a wall. This always went on throughout the night, and her mother did not care if Naomi was trying to sleep.

Naomi could remember the conversation that took place that night. Her mother had the baron over, and things took an unsuspecting turn.

"Marie, I'm in love with you! Please let me take you away from this terrible life." the baron begged. Naomi could hear her mother chuckled.

"Oh, I feel the same way, but I have an issue. It will prevent us from having a happy marriage." Naomi did not understand what her mother was talking about.

The baron sighed, "What is it? Whatever it is, I will take care of it." Naomi rolled her eyes. What a leech.

"I have a daughter. She is abusive and hates the thought of me being happy. It makes me feel like my own flesh and blood wants to suffer as a whore." her mother cried out.

"Marie, we will get through this together. Once we marry, that brat will be pushed aside, and we can create our own heirs. Please marry me."

The silence was terrible as Naomi waited for her mother's answer. Was this her mother's last-ditch effort to get rid of Naomi? Tears ran down her face as the conversation replayed over and over in her head.

"Yes, I'll marry you."

Naomi jolted awake, covered in a cold sweat. She cried as the memories came back, and the pain in her head got worse.